Hurting the Man of Steel
by fightindog
Summary: How do you hurt the Man of Steel. If you are Lois Lane it is easy . . .
1. Chapter 1

This time Clark Kent had been missing from Metropolis for 2 years. Lois thought back to that day in which she had finally driven away the nicest man in her life.

It had started as any other weekday at the Daily Planet. She had walked into the bullpen and Clark had walked up to her and handed over her morning coffee. She had been in a foul mood due to another fight with Richard over Superman and Clark's good natured mood and cheery "Good Morning, Lois" had been too much.

"What's good about it Clark?" she snapped at him.

"ahhh nothing Lois," he stammered

"Well then, its not a good morning is it and having you say it every morning is so predictable, some morning are just not good in fact they are just shit."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked with an understanding look on his face.

It had been that look that had driven her over the edge. Why did he have to look at her with such understanding after the fight she had had that morning? Her anger reached a new level and she yelled, "Why would I want to talk it about it with you, you have never ever had a girlfriend and for all I know you are probably still a virgin Clark Kent, what would you know about relationships, you are just a mummy's boy."

To this day the look that had crossed his face had never left her. It was like a light had been extinguished from his face and he shrunk back into himself. It felt like she was kicking a puppy and she couldn't help herself.

"Leave me alone Clark, we are work partners, nothing more, so stop following me around like a lovesick puppy and trying to get into my life," she had yelled.

The silence in the room was palatable as she realized that the entire bullpen was listening to her, not that they had a choice, she had been so loud. They were looking at her as if she was the devil taken human form. She saw people looking shocked but what she saw more was the smug looks on the men's faces. She had always defended Clark from them and now she had nailed him harder than they ever had.

Clark had made no comment as he had turned away from her and just walked out the door. She had wanted to run after him and apologise but her pride wouldn't let her move. She had spent the rest of the day trying to justify her words to herself. She knew she had behaved appallingly but she should have killed his infatuation with her years ago and then she wouldn't have responded so badly.

When Clark didn't appear the next day or the one after, Lois decided to swallow her pride and go over to his apartment. She grabbed his address off HR at the Daily Planet and drove over. In all the time he had been back she had never visited his apartment. After knocking on his door for a couple of minutes she had walked off to get the doorman to let her in. She had explained that she thought Clark was sick and she needed to check up on him.

"Sorry I was a bit hesitant, it's just no one has ever visited Mr Kent," the doorman had told her as he tried to find the right key for his door.

"No one?" she had asked a bit shocked.

"No, he has had no visitors in the last 18 months," he had replied, "Peter, he's the night doorman, and I have been wondering if he has anyone in his life at all. It really is very sad as he is such a nice person," then smiling at her he had added, "but at least I can tell Peter that someone cares for him."

Opening the door he had stood aside to let her walk inside Clark's apartment. She had called out but it was very obvious that Clark wasn't there. Standing in the middle of his living room she was shocked at the Spartan living space. There were pictures of what she could only think was his parents with a young Clark Kent but apart from that this apartment could belong to anyone.

There was very little warmth or feeling of a home. There was a single settee that faced a TV set on a cabinet and the rug on the floor looked like it had definitely seen better times. Walking into his bedroom she realized that his bed was made to perfection and apart from a family portrait there were no mementos of his life anywhere.

Lois was getting more and more upset with herself that she had never realized how alone Clark Kent was. This apartment was the home of a very lonely person. It had definitely never had the touch of a loving mother or partner and it looked like his suits, a bit old and not quite fitted properly.

She had stayed there for about half an hour but when Clark hadn't returned she let herself out of his apartment and went back to the Daily Planet, half expecting that Clark would be there with a cup of coffee ready and waiting for her. He wasn't and she was even more upset to find that Clark Kent had sent a letter tendering his resignation immediately. She had walked to her desk to see if he had left her a letter or anything but there was nothing there.

"Oh, God what have I done?" she asked herself.

That was 2 years ago . . .

_Please review and should I continue . . . _


	2. Chapter 2

Lois sighed in exasperation as she listened to the message she had missed from Richard on her phone, "Hi Babe, it's just me, I will be late tonight, there is a pickup game of basketball over at the Y tonight straight after work and the boys are short a couple of players. See you around 8, love ya."

She had plans of her own tonight and she wasn't happy to have them upset at such late notice. There was no one should could leave Jason with now so she was just going to have to drop Jason off at the Y so Richard could bring him home. Driving over she listened to Jason talk about his day. She really worried about him but Superman had been so good about ensuring that Jason understood the extent of his power, which up to now had only been erratic episodes of strength.

Superman was an enigma to Lois as the only point of contact she had with him was through Jason. She knew that in all probability that if it wasn't for Jason then Superman would most probably not be interested in her at all. The last time he had visited Jason she had not even been aware that it had occurred. She only found out in the morning when Jason told her about the flight he had taken with Superman.

That had pissed her off so much that she had marched outside and yelled out his name. He had appeared quickly and stayed floating in the air looking down at her. She had yelled her frustration at him over taking liberties with her son behind her back with him saying nothing, just looking at her. Feeling herself under that implacable gaze she had slowly lost her anger, how could one fight if the other person refused to? Once she had stopped talking he had said "have you finished?" and she was taken back to the impersonal tone he used.

"Yes", she had replied, "but . . ."

"No buts, he is my son and I will be part of his life and I will make decisions that I feel are the best for him. I will never put him in a position that endangers him or you but do not presume to tell me what I can and can't do with my son" he had stated calmly.

"I need to know" she had replied.

"No, you need to control and have everything in the little package you like. Life isn't like that Lois and you can't hope to control everything in your life."

"That's not true," she had replied "I respect what you have to offer Jason but he must be brought up as a human being and I need to know what you are teaching him."

"What I am teaching him?" he had asked with an exasperated tone, "Lois I am teaching him to respect and love the world around him and to understand that he will have a power that has to be controlled with a solid moral core. He will need to make decisions that you will never understand and he must always make the decision that is the best for everyone. As for being a human that's just a word, human's can be the meanest of people and their fallibilities and insecurities are passed onto their children so that is no recommendation."

She had never heard him talk like this, to be fair she hadn't had a conversation with him that was other than simple pleasantries for quite a long time. "I need to know what you are teaching, how else can I support you in your teaching?"

"Lois I will inform you what I am teaching him, but a father must pass so many things to his son that a mother can never pass on. What I give to my son must remain between him and I and you will never be a part of that."

"Don't you dare," she had replied with anger.

"I dare because he is my son and I will not have him thinking that friendship and love is dictated only by Richard and your frame of reference. He will understand that some things are just too precious to be thrown away with such casual abandonment." He had replied with a hint of anger in his voice.

That had confused her and when she had pushed he had refused to say anymore before he finally said, "I have to go," and flew off. To this day she still could not understand how Superman of all people could be so dismissive of her and her values.

Arriving at the Y she had walked into the court with Jason and stopped short as she approached the game. The game wasn't what made her stop but the sheer masculine physique of one of the players. His back rippled with muscles as he moved around the court. For the first time in many years the feeling she felt was sheer unrelenting instant lust for another human being. It felt like hours but would only have been a couple of seconds before she looked up into his face as he spun away from a perfect 3-point shot.

"Oh my god it's Clark Kent," was the thought that smashed into her mind.

_To be continued . . ._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Standing there watching the game was truly a painful experience for Lois.

For once she had no idea what to say to Clark when he finished the game. How does one apologise for being such a bitch that you drive a total change in someone's life. She had hurt him so badly and driven him from her life yet at the same time she couldn't take her eyes off Clark. He was poetry in motion, his sheer athleticism and physique could only be described as perfection and his play at times verged on the unbelievable.

"_Where was Clark hiding all this all those years,"_ she thought to herself. _"Did I really know so little of the person that I didn't see this. God, what do I say to him?"_

By the time the game had finished she was still no closer to working out what to say. She watched as Clark shook hands with all the players and started to walk towards the changing room. She went to step forward but realized that Richard was standing in front of her talking. Shaking her head slightly she focused on him, "Hi Babe, what are you doing here, didn't you get my message?" he asked.

"How long have you known Clark was back?" she asked him tensely.

"Clark? What do you mean how long have I known he was back. Tonight was the first time I have seen him in ages," he replied before adding "it's not like we were friends before he left anyway. By the way what are you doing here?"

"What? Oh sorry, I have to meet the mayor's assistant tonight to discuss the coverage of the election so I can't look after Jason." She replied a bit absently.

"And"

"and, don't be slow Richard!" she said as she focused 100 on him, "I need you to look after him tonight, can you please take him home?"

"Of course, you just have to ask." He said smiling at her.

"Thank you," she tightly smiled back at him "I need to talk to Clark and apologise for what I did."

"Why? Why go back over something that happened a long time ago. You have moved past it and no doubt he has as well."

"Richard I am not sure that I have moved past that, I can't stop thinking how bad my behaviour was that day. I drove the man away from his life."

"Lois, no one can drive another person to change their life, the only person who can make those changes is the one who decides to change."

"I should apologise, if not for him, then I need to say sorry for myself."

"Your call Lois, but I think you are probably stressing over a little thing."

Lois saw Clark leave the changing room. Seeing her eyes focused over his shoulder Richard turned his head to see what she was looking at. He smiled at her and quickly squeezed her hand before saying "Alright, Jason and I will leave you alone, see you at home. Good luck babe."

Stepping away from her family Lois, called out across the gym, "Clark!"

She watched Clark stop moving towards the door of the gym to turn and look at her. Knowing he wasn't going to make this easy she started to walk towards him. As she approached him she took in how much he had changed in the last 2 years. Gone was the slump and hunch of his shoulders and he was standing tall. His blue eyes were clear behind his glasses and he looked so different wearing jeans, tight t-shirt all under a black jacket. Getting close she, for the first time, realized how tall and imposing he really was.

"Clark, can we talk?" she asked looking up at him.

"Hi Lois, not now I am going to be running late, sorry," he replied a little disinterested.

"Clark, please?" she asked with a slight urgency.

Taking his non-movement as a yes, Lois quickly said, "Clark, I am so sorry for what I said to you the day you left, I was angry and I took out my anger on you. It was unforgivable what I said and I am very sorry, you have no idea how sorry."

Clark stood there looking at her for what seemed like an eternity to her. Finally he replied, "Lois, it was a long time ago and we have all moved on, but I appreciate how hard that was for you say."

"Clark, I never meant to say those things to you."

"But Lois, you did say them and very publicly at that. It was what you thought of me and that is fact," he replied, before adding, "Goodbye Lois, I have to go."

She couldn't let him leave without knowing, "Clark, are you ok, where have you been the last two years, what have you been doing."

"Sorry Lois, I have to run but rest assured I am fine so you don't have to worry about it," replied Clark before he turned away and walked towards the door of the gym.

"Clark, at least tell me are you living back in Metropolis?" she called with a hitch in her voice.

"I live everywhere," he cryptically replied before he walked out the door.

Knowing that not knowing was going to gnaw at her, she ran across to the door of the gym and called out his name, but he was gone.

_To be continued . . . _

_Love those reviews keeps me focused._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Live everywhere do you Clark Kent, is that right, well big man, let's see if I can track you down, won't accept my apology, that's fine but you are not making me feel guilty because you wimped out from a fight."

"What on earth are you mumbling about Lois?" Richard asked as he looked over the top of the morning paper and watched her jam her notebook into her bag.

"Nothing! Oh crap no it isn't nothing," she replied as she slammed her bag down on the table, "I apologized to Clark last night and he was completely non fazed about it."

"I told you that it wasn't a big thing and not to bother," he replied.

"You don't understand Richard," she replied as she grabbed her coffee and sat down opposite him. "It isn't what I said that is bothering me. I said those awful things to him and when I went to his apartment I realized that, Clark Kent, a person who had been my partner for many years was someone that I didn't even know. Have you any idea how that made me feel?"

"Selfish?"

"Yes, selfish, but more a lot more," she replied before she leant forward to give her words emphasis and said, "Clark had always been my partner at the planet and I knew from the first day he had this puppy crush on me so I kept him at a distance. Even with that distance Clark took the time to find out and remember what I like and don't like, how I have my coffee, what was bothering me, Hell! The man even listened to all my emotional outpourings about Superman without once commenting on what a complete lovesick teenager I was being."

"and", he prompted after Lois had been quiet for a while

"and I didn't even know the man at all, I didn't even bother to find out his address when he came back. Richard he didn't have any friends, the only person who he may have considered a friend was me and I barely registered he had returned and basically ignored him," she replied softly.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, but I need to know he is ok as he might have been my best friend and I didn't even know it," she replied.

"Lois, I think you should just leave it alone and leave Clark alone," he said to her.

"Richard, seriously, I am going to find Clark Kent and I am going to see that he is doing ok and then I will leave it alone, I need to do this for me."

"Ok, but don't forget I tried to warn you from doing this," he replied with a smile.

_To be continued . . ._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After three days of fruitless searching, Lois was coming to the conclusion that Clark Kent had dropped off the face of the earth. There was no record of Clark Kent in any database she could access, and some she was not meant to access. Clark had simply left the Daily Planet that day and two days later had stopped using his credit cards, his bank account and closed down all his auxiliary bills. She was totally baffled, how does a person in today's online connected society totally drop off the radar.

The searching had given her a greater knowledge of Clark Kent. Until he left he had been a punctual payer of bills, had a very good credit rating and sent most of his salary to a bank account under the name of M. Kent at a bank in Smallville, Kansas. None of that had surprised her but what had surprised her was the payment to the Smallville account had stopped a couple of weeks prior to Clark leaving.

Further investigation of the Smallville newspapers had revealed that a Martha Kent had died just prior to the fund transfer cancellation. That information had forced her to sit down on her chair with a heavy heart as she realized that Clark had not shared his sadness with her and had kept it all bottled up inside. "How could he not have told me, I would have listened," she thought to herself. Getting up she walked over to Perry's office to confirm what she was already dreading.

"Hey Chief, did Clark ever tell you about his mother's death?"

"Hi Lois, why don't you barge on in, Oh you already have," he sarcastically replied before he continued, "sorry I missed the question."

"Perry, did Clark ever tell you or Jimmy about his mother's death?"

"No, Clark never spoke about it with me. Why?"

"She was killed in a car accident just before he left the Planet and I didn't know anything about it, I just wanted to know if Jimmy or you knew about it."

"I doubt he told Jimmy as there is no way that boy would keep that sort of information to himself, he would have told me. Plus Jimmy was going through that phase where Rachel and him were continually fighting and he was a very angry unpleasant boy" Perry replied, before he looked up at the roof of his office and stared into space.

After a couple of seconds Perry refocused on Lois. "I remember that Friday, Clark came to me and asked if he could have Monday off. I was busy so I just looked up and said yeah, not a problem as long as he had his copy in by end of the day. He replied that he would have it all done before he left. I distinctly remember looking up as he was walking back to his desk and thought to myself that he was looking more hunched and beaten down than I had seen him for a long time but I just shrugged it off as we were racing to get the evening edition out. I always meant to ask him if he was ok but forgot over the weekend."

"His mother was buried on the Monday," she replied before asking, "Where was I that Friday?"

"Lois, you had Friday off that week. Remember that was the week of the fire at Jason's school."

"Oh God, that was that week!" she replied remembering back to that frightening Thursday when the schools boiler had exploded due to faulty wiring and the main block had caught alight. She, like a lot of parents when they received the news, had raced to the school. She was expecting that by the time she arrived that Superman would already have made an appearance and everyone would be ok.

To her horror by the time she got there, the only heroes there were Metropolis firemen. There was no sign of Superman. Lois had quickly walked away from the crowd and said, "Superman, Jason's school is burning and I can't see him, where are you?"

Within a minute, Superman had flown in and quickly got the fire under control. He had found Jason and flown him to Lois. She had looked up into his face and asked, "Where were you? Jason could have died, what took you so long to get here?"

"Lois, I . . ." and then he stopped talking and a look of anguished pain crossed his face. He took a breath and then continued "Lois, I can't be everywhere, I wish I could be but not even I can save everyone."

"Jason, why don't you go and sit in mummy's car?" she had said to Jason as she put him down and watched him get into the passengers seat of her car.

"What is more important than your son's life?" she had demanded as she turned to face him. "Surely your son should be the most important thing in your life?"

"Lois, I would know if he was in real danger, everyone I love I can hear their heartbeat, I had to make a choice."

"Choice!! Choice, listen to me Superman the only person who you should have been trying to save was your son, no one should be more important than that."

"Lois, I can't do this now, I have to go."

"Fine, fly away but you and I are going to finish this conversation."

He had looked at her with such an uncharacteristic look of sadness that she felt an urge to ask him if he was ok but she was still angry for causing her to feel such fear that she simply turned away and went to see Jason. Not hearing the swoosh that normally accompanied his leaving she had turned back and for an instant, only an instant, she thought she saw tears in his eyes before he disappeared from her view.

Refocusing on Perry, she asked "Why would he not tell us when he returned, we were his friends."

"No Lois, I think you had it right. We were work colleagues to Clark Kent and that was about all we were with him . . ."

_To be continued . . ._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sitting on the back porch late at night with a coffee was one of the quiet pleasures of Lois's life. The densely packed buildings of Metropolis glowed with an ethereal light as the night-lights of the city reflected on the shifting water of the bay. The view changed constantly and the cool breeze that traveled through at night always gave her a sense of peace.

Lois was troubled by Perry's words and they had really affected her. Surely all of them weren't just work colleagues to Clark Kent. She remembered the first time she met him with his stammering and shy behaviour. How he managed to get such great stories when he was too shy to say boo had always been an enigma to her.

Right from the start she had seen the adoration in Clark's eyes and whilst flattering and great for her ego, why would she be interested in such a shy, bumbling country bumpkin. She had deliberately ensured that she kept Clark Kent at a distance in the early days so that he got the message that she was way out of his league.

No matter which way she turned in her thinking she couldn't stop thinking of the ways she had kept him at a distance. Clark was always prepared to listen to her talk about anything without criticism or judgment. Thinking back now on her actions she realized that when he talked she would almost disengage from him and listen with half her attention.

"Why did I do that?" she thought to herself, "Clark always had a point of view and inside that head of his was a very sharp mind."

She remembered how over the years they had become friends, maybe not close friends, but definitely friends. He had always been so attentive towards her and was always there. That was the problem, he was always there, like a gentle security presence that will always be, willing to go along with anything she wanted. She was the one in charge and no matter how scared he was to follow her, he always would. She came to rely on Clark Kent as a good work colleague yet on a personal level she never let him in.

Then Superman disappeared, she was so worried about him that when Clark came to her and told her he was leaving to go traveling she had given him a quick hug and wished him all the very best. Without thinking she had left the room and waving back over her head had said "Clark have fun with the Llamas." She heard him say "Lois . . ." but she had received a tip that someone had seen Superman down at the homeless kitchen and she was in a hurry to check it out, so she choose to ignore him.

He disappeared on his travels for years and so many things had occurred in her life. She found out she was pregnant to Superman, meet Richard, fell in love and created the family that she had always wanted. She had won two Pulitzers and had become one of the top news reporters in the world. Until he returned from his travel she didn't think that she had thought more than a couple of times about Clark Kent.

"How could someone that has been in my life for such a long time be a peripheral part of my memories," she thought to herself. "What is it about Clark Kent that made me not want to engage with him? He is an honest, humble and clever man who apart from his obvious stumbling tendencies was one of the best partners a person could ask for," Lois thought to herself.

Taking a deep breath she thought "well no point worrying about it now, you were a complete bitch to him and unless he accepts your apology there is nothing you can do to try and fix any friendship you had with him . . ."

"Good evening Miss Lane,"

His voice made her jump out of her contemplative silence, "Holy crap you scared me," Lois yelped, "can't you at least ring a bell before you scared the life out of me?"

"Sorry," he replied with a slight smile on his face.

"You enjoy doing that don't you?" she replied.

"It has its benefits," he replied. His silence after he spoke she found un-nerving. _"God, Lois after all this time, he still makes you jumpy, grow up girl,"_ she thought, before she asked the first question on her mind. "Superman, do you know where Clark Kent is?"

He looked down at her for a while before he floated to land on the ground in front of her. "Why?" was the only word he uttered.

"um . . . well I saw him the other day and I was just wondering where he was living?"

"Why?"

"I haven't seen him for a long time and I have been worried about him," she replied a little testy.

Leaning forward she was a bit surprised to see him looking intently at her before he said "Worried about him, do you think something is wrong?"

"No, it's just . . . well it's just I need to know he is ok?"

"Why are you only asking now? Hasn't he been gone a long time, why now are you asking me if he is ok?" he asked.

"The truth?"

"Of course"

"The truth is sure Clark was annoying but I need him to accept my apology for the way I treated him, I am unhappy with my behaviour," she replied.

She watched as his face closed and he stood back and stood in his Superman pose. "So you need to know where Clark is so you can feel better about yourself?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds pretty selfish, it isn't like that, but I do want to put this behind me," she replied.

"No Lois, I won't tell you where Clark is but rest assure, he is fine and you don't have to worry about him," he replied before he floated off the round and said "Goodnight Lois."

Superman's words rang clearly inside her head, why did they feel so familiar and where had she heard them before. _"Oh my God . . ." _she thought as she suddenly remembered who and where she had heard that phrase before.

_To be continued . . ._

P.S. it's going to get dark from here.


	7. Chapter 7

**To everyone who has reviewed – thank you, feedback is always welcomed. This chapter needed to be written before we descended into the darkness. So for all those thinking the angst was coming you will have to wait for the next part of the story - FD.**

**Enjoy!!**

CHAPTER 7

"_How could I have never seen this before, call yourself a reporter, you can't even see what is in front of you, bloody hell, Superman is bloody Clark Kent or is useless Clark Kent Superman," _Lois thought to herself as she stormed into the house.

"Richard, where are you?" she yelled loudly.

"Here, what's wrong," he replied as he ran from the kitchen, "What's wrong, is everything ok."

"No it's not, I have just worked out who Superman really is, how could I have been so blind for all these years, God they even look and say the same things, how stupid have I been, he's bloody . . ." she yelled before she realised the enormity of what she was about to reveal and closed her mouth with a snap.

"What?"

"Oh God Richard, I have worked out who Superman is and I can't tell you, I can't tell anyone until I confront him about it," she replied in a much quieter tone

"But that means you suspect you know who Jason's real father is?"

"Yes"

"Lois, you have to tell me, I have a right to know," he said with urgency.

Thinking back to her meeting with Superman when she had uttered the same words, she grimaced before replying "Richard, I can't tell you until I confirm I am right. I don't have the right to get this wrong and if I get this wrong then I won't be the only person who is affected, Jason needs to know the truth as well."

"We all need to know the truth Lois, but this is bigger than just us," he replied before he suddenly sat down, "we are reporters and this is the biggest story in the world."

"Richard, we can't report this, we just can't." she replied, "it isn't just about Superman or who he is but how all this will affect Jason and us."

"But, Lois we are reporters and we are bound to tell the truth, how can we promise that if we don't report this?" he asked.

"Richard we have to make a promise right now that we won't ever write or report this in any shape or form?" she urged him before continuing, "If you can't make this promise then I will not be telling you anything I find out and that is just how it is. It's not just Superman it's also Jason's life, don't forget that."

Richard sat there for what felt like an eternity, before replying "Lois, I promise that for as long as I live I will never tell a soul any information about Superman that you find out. Will that Suffice?"

"Yes, thank you Richard, now I need to go and talk to Superman," she said as she turned to leave.

"Lois, invite him here, I want to be part of this conversation," he said.

Against all her better judgments and feelings Lois agreed. She stepped out onto the porch and in a quiet voice said "Superman, we need to talk. I know you can hear me and you probably don't want to talk to me but we need to talk. Richard and I would like you to visit us tonight. It doesn't matter the time we will be up, please come," staring up into the night sky, she felt a tear run down her face and angrily she wiped it off before continuing "We need to talk about our family, please."

Thirty minutes later they were watching the late news when they heard the unmistakable sound of a knock on the door. Looking at each other, Lois stood up and with a deep breath opened the door to reveal Superman standing on the threshold.

Richard looked at the Man of Steel framed in their doorway and was once again awed by his presence. Over the years he had more to do with Superman than the average person but that was still minor. Every time he saw him he was shaken by his presence as it reminded him that here was a being that was beyond human. He knew that Lois Lane was probably the only human being on the planet who was prepared to argue or yell at Superman.

He mentally shook his head as he listened to Lois invite Superman in. For the first time ever in Richard's memory, Superman looked uncomfortable. It made Richard realize that this was the first time he had seen Superman inside a house in a social context. _"He really isn't like us,"_ he thought before standing up and moving to shake Superman's hand "Welcome to our home, Superman. Is there anything I can get for you?"

Looking a bit startled at Richard's behaviour, Superman shook his hand and replied "Thank you Mr White, I'm fine but thank you for the offer."

"Please call me Richard, surely we are past the formal stage," he grinned at Superman, trying to put him at ease for what he knew was going to be a really tough night for him.

"Thank you Richard," he replied before turning to face Lois, "Lois, you said that we needed to talk about our family."

Now that the time had come to confront Superman, Lois was at a loss at how to proceed. She was about to open up a can of worms of which she wasn't sure she was prepared to hear the answer.

"Lois . . .?" he prompted as he folded his arms and stood up strong.

Lois felt even more intimidated as he did that but she knew that it was Superman's way of hiding his uncertainty. "Don't!" she said before she quickly continued "Superman will you please sit down we have a lot to talk about."

Looking at her he finally unfolded his arms and moved to sit down in one of the single chairs in the lounge.

Richard had to stop himself from laughing as Superman's massive frame dwarfed the chair. He was sure that it was one of the most surreal images he would ever witness in his life.

"Superman, we need to talk about Jason, our family and you," Lois said quickly before slowing down and continuing "and how we move forward after tonight."

"Ok," he replied before he looked at the ceiling and continued "Jason seems fine so I will assume he is not sick so what do we need to discuss Lois?"

"Jason needs to have a relationship with his real father," she blurted out before gripping Richard's hand and stared straight at Superman with a challenging look on her face.

"Lois, I am Jason's father and I have a relationship with him," he replied.

"Yes, you have a relationship with him," she replied before she pointed at him and continued "as Superman but not as his father!"

"Lois, I am confused. What are you trying to tell me?" he asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Looking at Superman with a stare that Richard could only liken to the look on the face of a Valkyrie as it plunged for a kill, Lois looked straight at Superman and in a calm but a voice filled with emotion said, "Superman, you have lied to me for years, you have lied to Jason about who you are and you have played us all for fools. After all this time I have finally worked it out. Are you or are you not Clark Kent?"

_To be continued . . ._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Superman sat there saying nothing but staring straight at Lois. Richard saw absolutely no emotion on his face and that shocked him even more. Even he was shocked at the news that Lois thought Superman was Clark Kent and surely that shock was now showing on his face.

"Well? Are you going to answer," Lois demanded.

Superman then did the one thing that Richard never thought he would do, he started to laugh, not just a gentle laugh but laughing loudly with his head thrown back. The laughter and his response to the question made Richard think that Lois had it all wrong and that surely Clark Kent was not Superman. Looking at the man of steel laughing was surreal but then the laughter stopped suddenly and Superman's blue eyes were boring into Lois's eyes again and now it didn't seem so surreal.

"How dare you accuse me of lying to you Lois, how dare you?" he said with a real hint of anger in his tone. "I have given everything for you and for Jason and I mean everything."

"Answer the question, are you Clark Kent?" Lois asked but Richard could feel her hand tremble a bit in his that was at odds with the tone of her voice.

"Does it matter Lois, does it really matter who I am?" he replied before continuing, "I could be mickey mouse and you would still be blinkered to the reality of me. I have been around you for years and you have refused to even know me."

Richard was now starting to think this was probably the worst idea ever. The anger on Superman's face was downright scary.

"Lois, once you knew who I was and it just about killed you, you couldn't handle it then and you wouldn't be able to handle it now. I was forced to take that knowledge away from you so you could survive. The knowledge of who I am I shared with you because I loved you with every single part of my being. I thought that that knowledge would bring us closer together but instead it drove you nearly insane."

"You had no right," Lois yelled back at him.

"I had every right, I had every right as no matter what you think of what I did I have to make the right call every day and this was the right call. No matter what it cost me I will make that call," he replied in a voice that was becoming very hard and cold.

"I should know how I got pregnant, I should be able to remember the father of my child, I should know," Lois replied.

"Why Lois, tell me why you should know?"

"I have the right to know," she said back to him.

"Lois, by what right are you talking about, in this you have no rights, you want to remember and you want to know but I am not sure if I will ever give you back that knowledge, you can't handle what happened in those days."

"I need to know what happened, I am a human being and my memories are all I have, we are all just made up of memories in the end. How could you do that to me?"

"Lois, I returned and you dismissed me, you kept dismissing me and everytime you did, I realized that you just don't care about me, you care about what I can do but you just don't care about me as a man."

"I don't know you as a man," she yelled back with tears running down her face.

"Lois, you knew me as a man and you couldn't handle it. You know me as a man today and yet you still deny it and me. Most people never have to make a decision that will save a person's life or allow another to die. I hear everything and I have to make a choice everyday who must live and who must die. I need to split the person who makes those decisions away from my life or it will crush me."

"So is that when you became Clark Kent?" she asked.

"Oh for God's sake, YES! I am Clark Kent, I am the son of two of the most wonderful people in the world, Jonathan and Martha Kent and they raised me and made me the person I am today. Superman is just what I can do but Clark Kent is who I am," he coldly said to her.

"So you admit you are Clark Kent now, why have you lied to me for so long," Lois yelled back at him.

"Why don't we all calm down," Richard tried to interject.

Superman's eyes left Lois and he said "Richard, I will not calm down this has been brewing for years and if you don't want to be here then leave."

For the first time in a long, long time Richard felt that he was coming between Superman and Lois and it wasn't a nice feeling.

"Richard if you don't want to be here you should go," Lois said to him before she turned back to Superman and asked, "Why did you lie about that?"

"Lois, I didn't lie I just didn't tell you. From the first moment I walked into the Daily Planet I fell in love with you. I was mesmerized, everything about you was just perfection to me and the more I spent with you the more I realized how much I loved you and you know what you did?" he asked

"No," said replied quietly.

"You didn't care, you just didn't care. You didn't want to know anything about me as Clark Kent, you wanted to know everything about Superman but about Clark Kent you just couldn't be bothered," he said.

"That's not true, we were partners we shared a lot of things," she replied.

"Lois, you didn't even bother to know anything about my life, I was just happy to be involved in yours and every day coming into work was a joy, but each day you took a small piece away from me. Have you any idea what it is like to be so in love with someone and find they just don't even care enough to know how you have your coffee?"

"Clark, did I know before you took away my memories?" Lois asked him with a slight hitch in her voice.

"No Lois, you didn't," he replied.

"What happened then, how did I end up pregnant?" she demanded

"You found out I was Superman and you changed towards me and I was so excited that I forgot that you just don't care for Clark Kent. It was the most wonderful/awful time of my life. I could see the look in your eyes when you looked at me and it was never the same as when you looked at me as Superman," he said before he asked "Have you any idea what that can do to a person?"

Lois didn't reply she just shook her head at him.

"After taking away the knowledge of what happened in those days, I felt truly alone, for the first time ever, but I naively thought that we could at least develop a friendship."

"Alone, but you left me, you left all of us," she said "and how can a friendship be developed if it is built on lies."

"Lies, what lies? Lois, to lie to someone they have to want to find out the truth in the first instance. I didn't want to leave I wanted to talk to you but every time I came to talk to you, you just ignored me or pushed me away, in the end I had no choice. I was alone and I made a decision I will regret forever but I made the decision to go."

Clark was quiet for a while before he continued, "You say I left you, but to leave it means that I was caught and that was never the case. Superman left you, Clark Kent never had you."

"I loved you, as Superman but I loved you," she said

"No Lois, you never loved me, you loved what I could do and what I stood for but you never loved me because you don't know me."

"I did," she replied quietly but he replied in his cold voice "Lois, a person who say they love someone would see the devastation in that person when he lost one of the most important people in his life."

"What do you mean?" she asked

"To this day, I hear the cries of my mother as she lost control of her car and skidded towards the truck. I flew as hard and as fast as I have ever flown but I was a fraction too late. When I arrived it was to witness the last seconds of my mothers life. I was holding her in my arms as she died and I heard you say Jason was in trouble. I was holding my dead mother in my arms when I made the decision to get up and try to save Jason. I laid my mother down on the ground and covered her with a blanket from her car and left her there on the ground and flew to you."

Lois had her hand to her mouth as she whispered, "you should have told me."

"Lois, all I could think was please don't let me be late to save Jason but underneath my mind was saying it's ok Lois will be there she will be there and everything will be ok. When I got there you barely registered me all you wanted was for me to be Superman. If you knew me as you claim then you would have seen I was in such pain and yet you didn't even turn when I said your name."

"You should have told me," she quietly said.

"Lois I tried to talk to you the next time I saw you. I thought that if I shared this with you then I would feel better. You threw my approach in my face and insulted me to everyone and that was the straw that broke it for me."

"Where did you go?" she asked

"I stopped being Clark Kent, what was left for Clark Kent, he had no family, no friends, no attachments and no one cared about him. I realized I had made a complete mess of my life so I choose to become Superman. Clark Kent does not exist anymore and no one has cared enough to find him."

Lois had tears running down her face and Richard went to squeeze her hand but she removed it and left his hand feeling cold.

"I cared Clark, I cared," she said. "When I saw you at the gym . . . what were you doing at the gym?"

"Sometimes I just have to be with people and that was one of those times."

"I cared Clark, I didn't know how much until you weren't there," she said "please forgive me Clark."

"There is nothing to forgive or be sorry for Lois."

Richard watched, almost in slow motion, as Lois stood up and walked towards Clark. Clark looked at her approach with an unreadable look on his face. She stopped in front of him and gently put her hand on his face and her thumb started to stroke his face. Richard watched as Clark closed his eyes and slightly leant into her hand. "Clark I am so sorry for everything, please forgive me," she said.

Opening his eyes his hand came up to her hand and slowly took it off his face. Standing up he towered over her and said "Lois, if you need forgiveness then I give it to you."

"Clark please come back don't close yourself away from us, please," she begged.

"Lois, its too late, its just too late."

"Clark, if you won't do it for us then do it for Jason," she said with a real sense of urgency in her voice.

"Jason always knew Lois, he always knew. From the first time he saw me as Clark he knew it was me, he wasn't blind to me," he said before he turned to walk to the front door.

"Clark, please don't go . . ."

"Clark doesn't exist anymore and I have to go Lois, the world needs Superman."

Lois watched with tears streaming down her face as the realization finally hit her that she had lost Superman and Clark Kent from her life forever and slowly she crumbled to her knees and cried into her hands.

_To be continued . . ._


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry been a while – work was insane last week. Will be a lot of chapters up this week – FD

Chapter 9

Lois felt Richard's hands squeeze her shoulders and she had to force herself to stay still, and not shake him off. The pain she was feeling was so unexpected and intense that she felt like a person struggling to breathe, needing a deep breath but the calmness required was not to be found.

Red-hot needles of anguish were piercing her heart and a hidden precious part of her soul had been ripped open with his words. It was like a part of her had been exposed to sunlight and without any nourishment the light was overwhelming it.

She felt salty tears roll down her face and fall into her hands as for the first time in years she cried for a loss, a loss for something she wasn't even aware of.

"Lois, are you alright?" Richard asked her

She couldn't talk to him right now. _"How can I talk to him when I had no idea what I am feeling," _she thought before she stood up and turned away from him to get his hands off her shoulders. "I have to go," she blurted and ran from the house. She ran down to the end of the pier next to the plane and threw herself down, leaving her feet dangling off the end.

"_Oh my God, this hurts so bad,"_ she thought as the tears continued. _"Clark, Superman, Kal-el is the same person and he's right I have been blind to him all these years. I am either monumentally stupid or I just wasn't that interested in the reality that I never saw it all. How can I love Superman when to touch him, to yearn for him, to be driven wild by him was a drug and all the time it was Clark and I didn't see him? How shallow have I been! Was the image of Superman what I loved or was it something more? Clark said that once I knew about Superman and it nearly killed me why would that have killed me?_"

As she sat there over the next hour thinking her way through everything, her tears slowly dried up and her sobs lessened. The pain was still there but Lois's natural toughness and endurance was slowly making its way to the surface. Anyone watching would have seen her look of pain be replaced by one of resignation before it was quickly followed by a look of fierce determination that was at odds with her gentle smile.

"You aren't getting rid of me that easy Clark," she whispered under her breath before she stood up and walked back into the house and said "Richard, we have to talk."

_To be continued . . ._

_Please review. I love to read peoples comments and it keeps me very focused. _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The realization that she was no longer an important part of Superman's life had left a big hole in Lois. She had subconsciously loved the feeling that she was special in the man of steel's life and had felt safe in the knowledge that no one could take her place in his affections. To be so rudely disabused of that notion and to have it done in front of Richard was shocking in the extreme.

She still didn't know what her feelings about the whole Superman/Clark issue but she did know that she was going to have to sort it out sooner rather than later.

Her feelings for Superman had become comfortable and easy to hide, like an old boyfriend whom you still had feelings for. Superman didn't do life, he was bigger than life, but Clark Kent was life personified with his polite upbringing and niceness.

To have them as the same person had brought into stark contrast the knowledge that she could have some sort of relationship with Clark Kent/Superman that could be real and based in those realities.

Richard had understood when she had told him that she was very confused and didn't know what to think anymore. He had taken the whole episode in his stride and had been so supportive to her as she thought it through, but she could tell that her continued excuses for not having sex with him were starting to grate.

She loved Richard but she was questioning whether she loved him or was in love with him. He was safe and dependable and he was always there for when she needed him but was that enough for her. It was all complicated by the fact that Jason adored Richard and it would be so easy to just continue the way it was.

"_It's not that I could ever love Clark Kent but . . ."_ she would think to herself. That "but" seemed to be the step that she couldn't get over.

She knew that all her thinking and processes to find an answer were important to her but meaningless in the conundrum of Clark Kent and his choice to leave humanity behind.

One thing she was sure of was that Superman leaving his humanity behind wasn't a good idea. From all the accounts she had read, the terrible destruction committed by General Zod and his minions on the world was devastating and no one wanted that repeated by any Kryptonian.

Superman's humanity or empathy for humanity was what separated him from the likes of General Zod. For Superman to choose to live outside humanity could have scary and far-reaching consequences.

So for the last week the burning question that was in her mind was, _"What will bring Clark Kent back to the world?"_

If she was going to do this then she was going to have to find out what made Clark Kent tick. She knew that the motivational trigger for a life changing or attitudinal change could only come with knowledge. She had to find the motivational trigger that would work with Clark Kent and to do that she was going to have to dissect his life from top to bottom.

That was why she was sitting in Metropolis airport waiting for a flight to Smallville, Kansas.

In her hand on a piece of paper, were two names written like signposts.

Vice-president Pete Ross and Lana Lang were one of most high-profile couples in the world. The amount of coverage they received was unprecedented. She was acknowledged as one of the world's most beautiful women and he was one of its most powerful men.

Their names and images had continually appeared whenever Clark's did in the Smallville Gazzette. It was obvious that they had spent a lot of time together as teenagers and this had prompted her to make an appointment with Pete Ross's secretary to visit his Washington office.

She had been shocked to receive a personal call from Pete Ross inviting her to Smallville for the weekend and she had leapt at the chance.

"_How well does Clark Kent know the Vice President and his wife but more to the point how much do they know about Clark?"_ she thought to herself and she got up to walk through the departure gates.

_To be continued . . . _


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Getting out of the cab, Lois was not surprised to find herself in front of a large palatial home. The elegance and style of the home was what one would expect for one of the most glamorous couples in the world. "So far away from Clark," she thought to herself before she watched the door open and out onto the portico came the Vice Present and his wife.

Steeling herself for the unexpected Lois stepped forward with her hand out and a big smile said, "Vice President, so pleased to meet you, I'm Lois Lane."

"Lois, please call me Pete," he replied with a smile, before he turned slightly and placed his hand on the small of his wife's back and said, "May I introduce you to my wife Lana."

As Lois shook Lana's hand she couldn't help but stare. Lana was elegance personified with a perfect face and figure that Lois was sure would have men drooling. "I wonder if Clark ever drooled over her," she wryly thought to herself before she mentally shook her head and said "Lana so pleased to meet you."

Turning to face Pete, Lois caught a look on his face that she didn't recognize and she was sure she heard him say under his breath, "he always did have great taste."

"Please come inside, Lois, it's a long flight from Metropolis on those small planes," Lana said and started to walk into the house.

"Let me take your bag and your coat Lois," Pete asked, "would you like to freshen up or would you like a cup of coffee first?"

"I would kill for a cup of coffee," Lois replied with a big smile as she handed her bag and coat to the Vice President.

"Black, 2 sugars coming up," Lana said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"How did she know?" Lois asked with a shocked voice.

"Clark," was all Pete said as he showed Lois the way into the living room.

Lois's mind was racing, why on earth would Clark have told them how she had her coffee. Why did this one fact make her feel so treasured yet bereft of any semblance of understanding? Her reporter's instincts were clicking into overdrive as that clearly showed a level of relationship that was more than just old school friends.

Pete and Lois made small talk about the weather and the state of the Redskin's season as they waited for Lana. Just as Lois was running out of small talk and was struggling to not ask the VP questions Lana walked back into the living room with a tray of hot drinks.

"Thank you," Lois said as Lana passed over her coffee, "how did you know that was how I have my coffee?" she asked with what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face.

"Clark told me, he has told me all about you Lois," Lana replied before she sat down on the couch and asked "So Lois, I am sure that you didn't come all this way for a friendly chat, how may we help you?"

It was out in the open. Lois decided she could grow to like Lana, who in spite of her obvious elegance, was blunt and to the point. Now that she was faced with the issue Lois wasn't quite sure how to proceed. It was obvious that the VP and his wife were very close to Clark but how close was close. She decided that the best way to broach the subject was to just ask and tone it down if she had to. "I am worried about Clark," she said, "and I . . ."

"Why?" came the quick interruption from Lana.

Lois looked at the couple and saw that the VP was sitting back and letting his wife take the lead in this conversation. _"Now that is interesting, I thought it would be other way around,"_ Lois thought to herself before she replied, "I saw him not so long ago and he seemed different."

"Different, how?" Lana asked

Lois now knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Her instincts were screaming that here was a hostile interviewee who was going to protect Clark to the best of her ability. Deciding to change tact Lois asked, "Can I ask how long you guys have known Clark?" in an attempt to include Pete in on the conversation.

Lana answered "We have known Clark since high-school, he was, and is, a very good friend of ours," she paused before continuing, "Lois, let's cut to the chase, what do you want to know? We could fence around this or we could get it out into the open."

Lois looked admiringly at Lana before asking, "Fair enough, how much do you know about Clark before I answer that?"

"Everything," was the answer she received from Pete with Lana nodding agreement.

"So you know?" she asked.

"Yes, Lois we have known about Clark since we were teenagers," Lana replied.

"I have only just found out," she said before she smiled at them "It hurt to be find out the way I did."

"We both found out in different ways but to say we were shocked was an understatement," Pete replied, "but he was Clark, our friend, you know?"

"Yeah, I am starting to see that now," she said before she continued with a frown on her face, "I am so worried about him, as he no longer wants to be Clark Kent."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked.

So Lois recounted the entire story of the last two years. She didn't spare herself in the telling and it felt quite cathartic to talk about it with very close friends of Clark's. Pete was extremely skilled at asking questions to keep her on track and she thought that if he wasn't such a talented politician he would have made a hell of a reporter.

When she had finished her story she saw the look that passed between husband and wife. Pete stood up and excused himself saying he had a call to make and left Lois alone with Lana.

"Lois, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I am worried about Clark and I am worried what will happen if Superman doesn't have Clark and I am just worried."

"Be honest Lois, it's just you and me, why are you doing this?" Lana asked.

In a very small voice Lois whispered, "I don't know. I don't know why I have to do this."

"Yes you do Lois, you just have to open up to it and no one but you can do it," she said before she got up and came and sat down next to Lois and took her hand and continued, "since the day Clark met you he was totally head over heels in love with you. He flew out that night and talked and talked to me about you. I was so happy for him as he was finally in love, really in love."

"Why would he share it with you?" she asked a bit sharply.

"Lois, Clark and I dated during high-school. He was such a caring, wonderful boy and we naively thought that we would get married, have children and die of old age in Smallville," she replied before grinning and continuing, "Oh such simple thoughts and wants from such a long time ago."

"What happened?" Lois asked.

"Superman happened," Lana simply replied before admitting "and I couldn't handle it."

"Superman?" Lois asked

"Oh not Superman as you know him but Clark as he was before Superman. He would be gone and saving someone mysteriously and he would miss dinners and dates and I couldn't handle it. Clark had this whole other thing going on that I couldn't be a part of and it was so much bigger than me and my life," she said.

Lois was quiet as she heard some of her own fears being voiced and she didn't know what to say.

"Clark's destiny was always bigger than I was ready to accept. So we broke up when he left to go do his training and I started to date other men. When he came back he was the most gorgeous untouchable being I have ever seen and I knew then that he would never ever be mine again."

Lana laughed quietly before continuing "Oh Lois, you should have seen him when he came back from his training he was something else, he glowed he was almost incandescent and God he was sexy."

Lois felt a green tinge of jealously pooling in her stomach. She wasn't jealous of Lana but jealous of how much of Clark, Lana had shared. All those feelings dissipated when Lana said "but once Clark meet you, no other woman would ever matter in his eyes, you totally stole his heart Lois."

"I didn't know, he never told me," she whispered.

"Clark would never tell you, unless he was sure you felt the same way. He was always cautious with you, as being rejected by you was his greatest ever fear," Lana answer before she looked straight into Lois's eyes and said, "and his greatest fear has come to pass hasn't it?"

To be continued . . .

Please review as I really liked this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

Lois had not enjoyed her visit to Smallville. The visit itself had been ok but the many questions posed by Lana were racing around in her mind and it had created a deep sense of unease within her. The ugly realisation that she was the cause of so much pain in another person was something that she hadn't taken into consideration over the many years she had known Clark.

In his superhero persona she had admired and associated only the very best qualities but in his real persona she had only associated unflattering qualities and pushed his good qualities to the back. "Comparing the sun to a light bulb is pointless but in isolation a light bulb is a marvel of engineering and a necessity of life" Lana had told her.

Lois knew she had always held all men, except Richard, up against the man of steel. Richard had come into her life when she had needed an anchor and his easy manner had made it easy for her to "settle". She had needed to settle as that was the only way to make her life work but she now knew that she had come to love her life exactly as it was right now. It was real and it was the life she had chosen.

"I love my life and Richard," she thought to herself as she sat on her deck after arriving back in Metropolis, "It's real, Richard makes my life feel safe and I know it is not an all encompassing love but neither is it chaotic and my life is chaotic enough without throwing that type of love in the mix."

It was at that moment that Lois let go the anger and hurt that had been festering away inside her over the years. She took back ownership of her own happiness and allowed the dream to die. It would always be a fond memory and she would always have a beautiful momento in her son but she let the dream join the many wonderful things she had done in her past to the past.

She couldn't take back what she had done but she also couldn't continue to beat herself up over her actions, but it was time to take responsibility for what she had caused.

"Superman, I know you can hear me and I want you to listen to me, you don't need to come visit me I just want you to listen to me," she said aloud.

"Clark, I'm sorry", she paused to allow that to drift away into the night air, "I'm sorry for so many things but I am most sorry that I disrespected your feelings and never treated you with the dignity and friendship you deserved."

"In my heart I think I always knew you were Superman but having to face that fact would have lessened Superman in my eyes, and my own ego-driven vanity wouldn't let me face that reality," she said as she brought her knees up and rested her chin on them.

Looking out across the pier and the nightlights of Metropolis she continued, "Clark, I can now see that our relationship over the years has been about how I feel when you are around and never about how you feel and I just took it for granted, it was so easy and you were so undemanding. Clark you have always been there for me in whatever guise you have been in."

"Our futures are unwritten Clark, even yours no matter what others may think about your destiny. In our future I want to be your friend, I want an adult friendship with you based on mutual respect, understanding and the real love of friends. I love Richard and he will always be in my life but I also want you in my life, not for me, not for our son but because I would like to be friends with Clark Kent."

"I want to be friends with the Clark Kent who stands by his friends, who loves unconditionally, who helps old ladies with their groceries, who empathises with the needs of others and always thinks of others before himself. I want to be friends with Clark Kent because he is a wonderful human being with such a huge capacity for goodness."

She listened to the gentle breeze and felt such peace as she said, "I would like the opportunity to get to know the real Clark and if you give me that chance I promise I will treasure the gift of your friendship forever. You once offered me anything in the world and I naively assumed you meant the world but now I know that what you were offering was bigger than the world."

"Clark, please let me be your friend?"

Hearing a small noise coming from the corner of the deck, Lois turned her head and said "Clark? Clark is that you?"

"No, its just me," said Richard as he walked around the corner.

"How long have you been listening?" Lois asked quietly.

"Long enough," he replied and then walking up to her Richard sat down next to her on the bench and silently put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Lois, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm proud of you, so proud of you and I love you."

"I love you Richard," she said before hugging him and saying "this whole thing has confirmed to me that you are the man I want to spend the rest of my life with and there can be no more secrets between us."

Richard didn't reply as Lois continued, "I was standing on the street getting a coffee when there was an almighty explosion in the sky above Metropolis, a planes' engine had just disintegrated and we all watched in slow motion as the plane started to pinwheel down towards Metropolis and that was the start of my adventure with Superman."

"You don't have to share all this with me," Richard said, "I don't need to know everything you know?"

"I know, but for some reason I want to tell you everything," she replied before continuing the story of Superman and Lois Lane.


	13. Chapter 13

**FD – sorry it's taken so long, thanks to everyone who has read ****this story and provided feedback. Having your story suddenly booked as an update reminder gave me the momentum to finish this story.**

_Two weeks later . . . _

As Lois walked through the door of the Daily Planet's bullpen she smiled as she did every day when she caught the unique scents of a busy newsroom. There was nothing else in the world that felt like it. It was on the edge, was real and it was always happening. Every day was different and not for the first time in her life she thanked whichever God was looking over her the day she decided to become a reporter.

Since talking to Richard she had finally started to feel complete in herself. People at work had commented how nice she had become and the rumours where rife that maybe she was pregnant again. She felt alive again and ready to take on the world.

"Lois, Lois get into my office now," Perry yelled across the newsroom.

"Coming Chief," she yelled back as she dropped her bag on her desk, grabbed a pen and her pad and headed towards Perry's office.

Without knocking she barrelled into his room and said, "What's up, why you screaming across the room like Elvis on a bad day Perry?"

"Now Lois is that anyway to talk to your boss," he laughed before saying "Now before you get all bent out of shape, please listen right to the end before you go crazy."

"Oh no, what have you gone and done this time old man?" she said

"Well, Lois, I want you to meet your new partner."

"New partner, what new partner, you know I don't do . . ." she said with a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realised someone was already in Perry's office sitting on the chair in the corner of the office. She slowly turned as Perry said "Lois Lane, I want you to meet your new partner, Clark Kent."

Lois's eyes misted as she looked at Clark Kent slowly stand up, hold out his hand and say "Hello, Miss Lane, pleased to meet you."

Taking a deep breath, heart thumping, Lois took his offered hand in hers and with a massive smile on her face said "Hello Clark Kent, so pleased to meet you and I think that you and I are going to be great partners and friends."

Perry smiled to himself as he saw a smile arrive on Clark's face as Clark said, "I would like that a lot, Miss Lane."

THE END . . . or is it?


End file.
